Wednesday Morning Linkage

Mystery of 'Carbon Shift' solved - LAObserved
You (and I) weren't crazy: the Times did launch a new enviro-blog last Tuesday and suspend it on Thursday. It will return in early April, though, deputy innovation editor Aaron Curtiss tells me. He explained that the blog had been in the works before the new website regime decreed a moratorium on new blogs last month.

Blade union replacement worker's car vandalized - Toledo Blade
A car owned by a replacement worker at The Blade was set on fire and the word "scab" was spray-painted in black on each side of the vehicle and its hood, authorities said. Peter Thayer, 33, of Oregon, was leaving work at an off-site facility at Summit and Lagrange streets about 10:30 p.m. Sunday when he found his Chrysler 300M burning in the parking lot.

Zell says he's still talking to Tribune - Business Week
Billionaire investor Sam Zell said Tuesday that he remains in talks with Tribune Co. and his proposal to acquire the media conglomerate still is on the table. In an interview with The Associated Press, Zell said he doesn't believe his proposal has lost momentum or fallen out of favor with Tribune, as some reports have suggested.

Carlyle Founder Warns Of Impending Downturn - Dailyii
Straight talk from Carlyle Group founder William Conway is sure to prick up ears in the financial world when he speaks of the big letdown coming.

Swan Songs at the Strib - City Pages
Last Wednesday, the Star Tribune released a list of 24 newsroom employees who were leaving the paper. Not layoffs or traditional buyouts, their departures were triggered by a clause in the Strib's contract that guarantees two weeks "dismissal pay" for every year of service up to a maximum of 40 weeks. The clause was triggered when the sale of the Star Tribune by McClatchy Co. to Avista Capital Partners became final.

Hearing officer rejects L.A .Times objections to press union - AP
In an opinion dated March 16, National Labor Relations Board hearing officer Jessica Toton rejected four claims by the Times, owned by the Tribune Co. that union supporters coerced, misled and even threatened workers during the secret-ballot election held Jan. 6. at a newspaper printing plant. Toton recommended that the Graphics Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters be certified as the collective bargaining unit of the 280 Times workers.Times spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan said Tuesday that the paper is "currently exploring our options," including appealing to the full NLRB in Washington, D.C.After 16 years of failed organizing efforts, the employees voted 140-131 to join the union.